Vanguard Magazine

autonomous VEHICLES 26 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com The SeaFox can be launched from the side of almost any marine vessel. It can also be deployed from a helicopter. a traffickers to transport contraband. Naval UAV missions include: • Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais- sance • Mine countermeasures • Anti-submarine warfare • Inspection/identification • Oceanography • Communication/navigation network nodes • Payload delivery • Information operations • Time-critical strike Atlas Elektronik has a number of under- water vehicles that are most likely to fit the Canadian Navy's needs. Primary among them is the SeaFox mine disposal vehicle, the SeaOtter AUV, and SeaCat multi-task AUV. seaFox The fibre optic-guided SeaFox is classi- fied as an ROV or remotely operated ve- hicle and is described Atlas Elektronik as a "one-shot" mine disposal vehicle. It mea- sures about 1.2m long and weight 39kg. It has a range of 1km and a top speed of 6kts. "The SeaFox is our most successful sys- tem," said Gerbrecht. "It is being used by 13 navies around the world including the U.S. Navy and as well as navies of several other NATO nations." The SeaFox comes in three variants: • SeaFox I, is a recoverable vehicle that is used for location and identification of underwater objects • Seafox T, is a recoverable vehicle used for location and identification of underwater objects plus training in the procedures of mine disposal • SeaFox C, is the expendable combat version of the SeaFox. It is used for the location, identification and disposal of moored, ground and floating mines The SeaFox I is equipped with a built-in TV camera and high-resolution sonar but does not carry any explosives. The SeaFox T comes with a ballast weight and re-set- table special attack unit instead of a live warhead. Maneuvering, operations and arming sequence correspond with that of the SeaFox C. The SeaFox C is equipped with both a high-resolution sonar, CCTV, and GPS but also carries a 1.4Kg shaped charge to destroy its target. All three variants are linked to the op- erator's console via fibre-optic cable. The vehicles are 1.2m in length and weigh ap- proximately 43kg. They operate to a maxi- mum depth of 300m, have a range of 1km, a maximum speed of 6 knots and operat- ing time of 100 minutes. The SeaFox C was used by the Royal Navy minehunter HMS Brocklesby off the coast of Libya in 2011. The U.S. Navy deployed dozens of SeaFox C units in the Persian Gulf in 2012 after the Iranian government threatened to use Soviet-era mines to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. One big advantage of the SeaFox over other mine hunting underwater drones is that the SeaFox can be launched from a va- riety of platforms, according to Gerbrecht. Unlike many AUVs that require dedicat- ed platforms or specialized modifications to existing surface vessels, the SeaFox can be launched from the side of almost any marine vessel. It can also be deployed from a helicopter. The system can be delivered as a stand- alone or a fully integrated version .In case of stand-alone, the console contains all electronics, software, displays and operat- ing elements to guide the vehicle automat- ically or manually towards the target and to relocate, identify and destroy it. In the fully integrated version, a multi-function console or any existing console can be used. seaotter The SeaOtter AUV is designed for mul- tiple military and commercial purposes. Its main tasks are: mine detection and coun- termeasures; covert intelligence, surveil- lance and reconnaissance; environmental assessment; seabed mapping; and hydro- graphical surveying. The 3.65m long AUV weighs 1,200kg. It has a maximum payload of 160kg and can be equipped with mine countermea- sure, intelligence surveillance, and recon- naissance, environmental assessment, as well as sonar technology. The SeaOtter has a top speed of 7kts and can operate up to 20 hours. seacat The SeaCat is Atlas' configurable, hybrid ROV/AUV underwater vehicle. Depending on its payload and battery options, the SeaCat length is approxi- mately 2.5 m to 3.5 m. It weighs any- where from 130 to 220 kg, again depend- ing on the configuration. The vehicle has a maximum forward speed of 6kts and operational depth of 2 m to 600 m. The SeaCat's standard payload consists of and Edgetech 220 Side Scan Sonar and a Tritech Micron DST Scanning Sonar. However, the SeaCat's unique swap- head technology makes it the "Swiss Army knife of underwater operations," accord- ing to Gerbrecht. The swap-head system is made up of an array of switchable head-mounted pay- loads that provide different functions. They include: • Survey Head One – R2 sonic multi- beam echo sounder for bottom topol- ogy mapping • Survey Head Mk 2 – A Norbit wide- band multi-beam sonar and video cam- era deliver bathymetric images paired with high resolution videos U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas S. Tenorio

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